Where is Chad Franke now? Everything to know about the son of controversial YouTuber Ruby Franke

Ruby Franke used to be a YouTube star, and her son Chad Franke has recently gotten a lot of attention since the Hulu documentary series Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke came out on February 27, 2025.

After Ruby Franke, the mother of the controversial YouTube family 8 Passengers, and Jodi Hildebrandt, her business partner, were arrested and charged with child abuse in 2023, they became infamous. Before getting caught, the Franke family had more than 2 million subscribers, and their tragic story of abuse and neglect shocked the nation.

Chad Franke switched from family vlogging to real estate. Although his exact whereabouts are undisclosed, People magazine reported that he started real estate school in July 2024 and became a realtor in February 2025. Chad posts about his girlfriend, hobbies, and travels on social media, rarely discussing his mother's arrest.

Chad subtly referenced Ruby's imprisonment in June and August 2024 with a tattoo prank and a "Prisonversary" post. However, he opened up and recounted his family's tragedy in the docuseries Devil in the Family on Hulu.

Chad Franke and his siblings appeared in viral family pictures, but behind the camera, they faced a disturbing reality. The docuseries interviews Chad and his family to reveal the Franke family's dark secrets. It explores the family's broken relationships and trauma leading up to Ruby Franke's arrest.

After the abuse, Chad Franke and his siblings are still dealing with it. Understanding the long-term effects of growing up in a controversial household requires understanding his healing journey, his mother's emotional toll, and his current situation.

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Ruby Franke and the Franke family's shocking story

In 2023, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were charged with felony child abuse after an in-depth investigation into the Franke family's living situation. Their audience was shocked by the charges, which showed how badly the children had been treated.

Ruby and Hildebrandt admitted to abusing children and were given prison terms of up to 30 years in a row. This news cast a dark shadow over the 8 Passengers YouTube channel, which used to be very popular.

People magazine mentioned,

"According to Chad, Ruby “just wanted to show the view of a Mormon happy family, but they only saw what we wanted to show them.”"

Chad Franke's appearance in the docuseries explores how he felt and how Ruby Franke's actions affected his life. Chad Franke is now speaking out, trying to get past the traumatic events that happened to him as a child.

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Chad Franke's life before the arrest

At the time of the documentary's release, Chad Franke was 20 years old. His parents are Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke. Chad was in videos on their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, for years. However, as time went on, he started to say the constant filming made him feel bad.

He said the family house felt more and more like a set, and he didn't like the thought of being on camera all the time. Chad's environment was tense and unhappy because he had to perform for an audience and found filming annoying.

In a revealing part of the documentary, Chad talked about how annoyed he was that his mother insisted on filming everything. He remembered clearly how angry he was at Ruby Franke and how much the family cared about how they looked in public. What Chad said about filming and how he felt about his mother gives viewers a real picture of his life behind the scenes.

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Influence of Jodi Hildebrandt

The docuseries goes into more detail about the role of Jodi Hildebrandt, a life coach who became very involved with the Franke family. Ruby Franke became increasingly mixed up with Hildebrandt's therapy sessions and methods.

Chad Franke recalled initially feeling unsure about Hildebrandt's therapy, but his mother became more committed to it after Hildebrandt seemed to see through his defenses. Eventually, Chad started going to therapy with Hildebrandt more often. Hildebrandt had a big effect on the Franke family, especially Ruby.

As the show progresses, viewers discover more about Hildebrandt's controversial effects on the family. She moved into the Franke house in 2022, and her presence made things worse between the family members.

Kevin Franke, Ruby's husband, said things were getting more awkward, especially since Hildebrandt was getting closer to Ruby. This incident is what made Kevin decide to get a divorce after the arrests in 2023.

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Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is available to stream on Hulu.